Wednesdays are my Fridays. Let’s read some comics!!
Amazing Spider-Man #624
Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special #1
S.W.O.R.D. #5
Secret Six #19
Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #1
Twelve Spearhead #1
Ultimate Spider-Man #8
A couple things have me scratching my head in wonder, thinking they might be good or might not. I hope Twelve Spearhead deals with the limited series that JMS abandoned when he went over to DC. Dude doesn’t have a very good track record (except for Spidey, I guess) with finishing what he starts. I’ve got no thoughts about the Justice League book, so I hope it’s good. And I’m hoping that Last Stand of New Krypton cleans up all the dangling plot lines that are running through the Superman books. I’m ready for something new, as I think I’ve made perfectly clear.
Spider-Man Books
Bad art aside, we were given another remarkable issue of Amazing Spider-Man this week. We finally got the origin of the newest Vulture, which by itself is unremarkable. What made this issue stand out was yet another notch in the belt of the Parker LuckTM. Spidey seems at his best when the deck is stacked against him, and now with his gallery of rogues getting powered up and now the loss of any chance at a decent job, that is definitely a poorly stacked deck.
The Lizard's origin in Web of Spider-Man was okay, but not one of the best short origins we’ve seen. I did like the addition of Man-Thing to the story. I wonder if that’s going to play into the Gauntlet at all. The Lizard DID burn at the Man-Thing’s touch, and then the story was over. Other than burning, I don’t know what the Man-Thing actually does to somebody, though. Is it more than just physical trauma? The Curt Connors story that finished up the book was just so-so, and the art was extremely ugly.
Ultimate Books
Well, Project Pegasus has some pretty power weapons under its roof: the Infinity Gauntlet, the Wand of Watomb, a cosmic cube, the ultimate nullifier, and the snake ladies are looking for the serpent crown. Story-wise, this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man was very mediocre. But it’s full of what I’ve loved about this book since the first issue (of the first series), awesome dialogue. I love this little group of Spider-Man and his amazing friends. They all play so well off of each other. Bendis also did a good job digging into Ultimate Power and Ultimate Origins
X Books
So, what did Dark X-Men really accomplish? Osborn now has Nate Grey in his grasp. Is he the individual that Osborn used in Siege: The Cabal? Could be. And if so, this is how he came to be under Osborn’s thumb. We also got no closure on the “team,” so I hope we hear something about them during or after Siege. I imagine they wouldn’t fit in too well at all in the new “Heroic Age” that Marvel will be going through. But there was no break up, so I assume they’re all still loosely palling around.
While it still wasn’t on the same level as the regular Deadpool series (or even Merc with a Mouth), this week’s issue of Prelude to Deadpool Corps was better than last week. The artwork by Whilce Portacio helped a bit (always loved his style, since his X-Factor days), and the story was cute. Horn dog Xavier was just about worth the price of admission all by his lonesome. He was definitely more interesting the Kidpool. I’m not expecting much from the next Dogpool issue.
Wolverine: Mr. X is a little bit too little and a little bit too late. It’s nothing but a fight book, and a very mediocre one at that. It’s also would have been more appropriate a year or so ago. X mentions that Wolverine and the rest of the mutants are living in San Diego, which was the past. And the end, well, spoiler, the book ends with Osborn contacting X about joining the Thunderbolts. I guess this is out now since the Thunderbolts as we know them are ending, and X’s recruitment was never brought up. He was just on the team. Nah, too little too late.
And Wolverine: Savage is yet another book to stay away from. It’s just a joke. Wolverine is inexplicably fighting the lizard when the book begins, fixes a bunch of sushi, then fights a monster that has eaten (but not yet digested) the sushi chef’s father. It’s not good.
Other Marvel Books
I think Criminal: The Sinners is the only non-comicky comic book I read. It’s noir at its finest, and I hope Brubaker continues to churn out more issues. This mini may have been a little slow at times, but this final issue brought everything together nicely and neatly. And while our hero did end up saving the day, he didn’t get away scott free. This seemed like a story that actually could have happened. Nice, Mr. Brubaker.
Hulk: Let the Battle Begin is a one-shot that has nothing to do with anything going on currently in the Hulk titles. It’s set in the random past when the Hulk was dumb, and in it he fights the Wrecking Crew and Thor. Unless you’re a die-hard Hulk (or Thor, I guess) fan, you can safely pass on this. The writing is mediocre at best, as is the art.
I hate that S.W.O.R.D. was downgraded to a mini-series rather than an on-going. These past five issue were superb. The dialogue was quick and witty and charming, and the back-and-forth between Hank and Agent Brand was excellent. I’m glad Gyrich is gone, because even as a foil I didn’t like him. I hope we’ll see more mini-series featuring this great group of characters soon. There’s a LOT of potential here.
Well, The Twelve: Spearhead DID deal with the characters from JMS’s defunct series, but it was a tale set back during WW II, and we were also treated to an appearance by the Invaders. There were two things that were somewhat shocking about this issue: 1) it was more violent than I was expecting, and Chris Weston’s art made it all the more graphic. 2) There was an ad in the back for issue #9 of The Twelve, finished up by JMS himself. Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Justice Books
It looks like Justice League: Rise and Fall bridges the gap between the end of Justice League: Cry for Justice and the upcoming Fall of Green Arrow storyline. We get a recap of what happened to Roy, Lian and Star City, and how that affected Ollie. The big thing, though, is that Flash and Green Lantern discover the body of Prometheus with a green arrow sticking out of his head. I would assume that that little tidbit would be covered in Fall of Green Arrow, so if you’ve already read Cry for Justice and are planning on reading Fall of Green Arrow, you can more than likely skip this book.
Y’know, I’m starting to enjoy Magog. It helps to have your shoot-first-ask-questions-later hero to actually act human every now and then. He’s taking an interest in his community and looking into what happened to him when Gog gave him his powers. And Howard Porter has come a long way since his days drawing the JLA. It was good then, it’s damn good now.
Superman Books
I’m not 100% sure what happened in Action Comics. Okay, Jax Ur is Vohc, the third in Rao’s trinity of god-like beings that also include Nightwing and Flamebird. He’s created a new Rao and then goes and banishes Nightwing back into the Phantom Zone. Is that about right? I would figure Lois would have been a bit more upset by that last part, considering Nightwing is pretty much her adopted son and all. But apparently all she has to do is make a call, something that she does throughout the issue to get what she wants. Stuff happened a little to easily for her this issue. Her contacts are really that good?
Well, now that Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton has started, we’ve got Clark back in his Superman garb, Supergirl is back on New Krypton, Brainiac and Luthor are attacking, and Superboy, Mon-El and the Legion have shown up to help. All we need now is General Lane and his crew to do something, and all of these long-running Superman plots can be wrapped up, hopefully nicely. Superman has been the only one of DC’s big three that I’ve ever really been able to get into, but the storylines can be drawn out quite a bit. New Krypton had it’s time, and now that time needs to end.
Other DC Books
Starro was finally defeated in R.E.B.E.L.S., and it wasn’t all thanks to Dox, although he’s taking all the credit. The ending seemed a bit anti-climactic, though. No big battle, no dire straits. Just a well-placed poison dart. I like the cast of characters that Dox assembled or was forced to use to defeat Starro, and I hope they all stick around. And Adam Strange is a good foil for Dox, hopefully keeping him in line as he tries to assert his L.E.G.I.O.N. through the galaxy.
The latest issue of Secret Six seemed somewhat scattershot as far as the dialogue went. The budding romance between Ragdoll and Black Alice is disturbing, but I’m better it’ll be fun to watch (but not in a pervy way). Did Chesire and Catman have a thing? Does he have a son with her? Is that what those guys were doing with her? If so, that could have been explained a bit better. And really, I hope he tears into the rest of the team next issue. That should make for an interesting issue.
Other Books
Things are definitely not looking good for Mayor Hundred right about now. Recently in Ex Machina, his mom has been killed, his best friend and mentor has been working against him, there’s a freakshow out there with powers similar to his but they work on humans instead of machines, and his administration is in disarray. So what does our real-world superhero do in a crisis of this magnitude? He cries in the bathroom, of course.
This month’s G.I. Joe: Origins focuses on Ripcord, and it looks like it’s borrowing pretty heavily from the movie. Ripcord is a self-appointed “comedy stylist” who wants out of the Army and into the Air Force. I’m hoping that’s where they leave the similarities, because I hate just about everything from the movie, and I’d hate to see it sully some decent comics. The issue ends with Ripcord in somewhat of a tight spot, so I’m guessing he’ll earn his badass creds (and thus his place as a Joe) next issue when he gets out of it.
Eight top-notch books. That’s pretty hefty for one week. Granted, I’ll be reading a lot more, but these eight will be read with a certain…care and consideration. I’m most interested in seeing how S.W.O.R.D. will play out after the surprisingly awesome issue last month.
Realm of Kings Books
All right, it’s about time we got to the menace that Quasar found out about a few months ago (in OUR time, not comic book time). I just didn't think it was going to be in the Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard book. You gotta wonder, though…what’s going on with Quasar? He obviously didn’t escape unscathed, so did he lead the invasion force here, or was that just a misdirect at the end of the Realm of Kings one-shot? And is this even the 616 Universe’s Quasar? It was mentioned in the one-shot that the Fault-universe’s Quasar had left also. I’m betting this Quasar and the one that returned to Project: Pegasus are two different entities. The question is, which is which?
Ultimate Books
As whole, I really enjoyed Ultimate Armor Wars. As a final issue, though, it just felt rushed. From the attack by Tony’s grandfather’s goons, to the revelation that the mastermind was in fact Tony’s thought-to-be-dead grandfather, to Tony’s miraculous 11th hour save, it was just too…darned…rushed.
I thoroughly dislike this faux-Manga artwork being used in Ultimate Spider-Man, but I can get past it because I like everything else about the book so much. I had forgotten all about the Watcher appointing a herald in the Ultimate Origin mini, but Johnny asking if it was him in the flashback brought it all (well, a bit of it) back. Having it be Rick Jones? Pretty cool. I can even get past the fact that he lives across the street from Peter and maybe has for quite some time, but Peter doesn’t even know who he is. I can’t wait to see where this is going.
X Books
I am really feeling no love for the New Mutants. Scott said it himself this issue, these guys and gals ARE X-Men. I understand that he’s looking for his future replacement, but wouldn’t it be better to look for that in a regular X-Men team rather than a team that just screams “NEWBIE” and “UNTESTED”? And the title is deceptive because there’s not one NEW mutant on the team. This is the original third wave (the first would be the original X-Men, and the second would be the team that Professor X gathered to rescue the originals from Krakoa); not everything old has got to be new again.
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back was a confusing book. And not confusing in a good, I’ve-got-to-see-how-this-plays-out way, but confusing in an oh-my-God-this-is-stupid-and-I-want-nothing-more-to-do-with-it way. With the opening, I assumed that the teen X-girls were attempting to go to a normal high school, but that obviously isn’t the case. This is almost like a weird, stream-of-consciousness magic thing, where everybody is just talking, regardless of if they’re making sense or not. No more of this mini for me, thank you.
Deadpool Team-Up is a pretty much just one, long, over-used joke. And like all long and over-used jokes, it’s not funny anymore. Wade randomly teamed up with a space trucker and fought some biker raccoons? The whole time I was confused as to how the raccoons learned to ride bikes and fire weapons, but that was quickly explained away at the end. And I learned more about U.S. Ace than I ever wanted to know. It’s Deadpool and I expect a certain amount of frivolity and irreverence, but this was just plain stupid.
Okay, we’ve got another crack in Osborn’s armor in Dark X-Men. I can get behind that. I’m even okay with the Goblin persona taking over. I don’t think I buy it, though, that Weapon Omega was the lone voice of dissent. He never struck me as that clever. And Nate’s big plan was to unleash the Goblin? Is that so the world can finally (again?) see Osborn for what he really is? Okay, but four faux X-Men aren’t the world, and two of them are villains in their own right, so what’s he really accomplishing? And will this all end with Nate being Osborn’s secret weapon from the Siege: The Cabal one-shot? There’s a lot of speculation going around that that is in fact Nate. But who knows. After the most recent events of Siege, it could have been a Void-controlled Sentry. I guess we’ll get a better answer about Nate by the end of the final issue.
Other Marvel Books
I used to really like the monthly What If series from Marvel. I’m somewhat a fan of alternate versions of things. It’s probably why I like song remixes and mash-ups so much. But these past few years, with Marvel’s new What If non-series, I’ve been less than impressed, and the reason is illustrated with What If: World War Hulk. Rather than spending a whole issue on fleshing out a good thought, the book is split into two stories, which are pretty watered down. I enjoyed the premise of the main story, but too many things were glossed over or under-explained.
The best thing about each issue of Vengeance of the Moon Knight is the cover by Leinil Francis Yu. Everything after that is confusing, at least to a less-than-casual reader of the hero. I get the premise, that he was bat-shit crazy in his previous series and incredibly violent, very much like the Punisher, and now he’s toned down and is trying to be a better hero while keeping the crazy to a minimum. What did he do to piss off Osborn, though, and have him send the Hood to get him? The fights this issue were short, peppered throughout the book, and somewhat pointless. He’s supposed to be fighting Bushman, but he can’t get past his random lackeys? And why was Spidey even here? That was pretty pointless.
The scathing wit and humor weren’t quite as prevalent in this issue of S.W.O.R.D., but it showed up where it could, and that’s all right. Brand handled the Metroliths wonderfully. And Gyrich, with his not backing down to Osborn and claiming that the symbiote will eventually have to go, is classic Gyrich. I want to know who/what that robot thing is. He’s like Loki, but more likeable and less slick and slimy.
Daniel Way must be the best writer ever, because, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Hit-Monkey was one of the best books of the week. With a book about an assassin monkey (monkey assassin sounds like someone who kills monkeys), you’d think this would be a story with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But it’s not. Way gives Hit-Monkey a somewhat serious origin. And other than the ridiculousness of seeing a monkey practice martial arts and then kill a hit squad, there’s really nothing funny about the book. And that’s what makes it good.
I have the same problem with Ender’s Game: CommandSchoolthat I had when I finished Ender’s Game, the book. It all happens so fast. I love the idea of the kids actually fighting the war and Ender not knowing this. But once Ender got on Eros and was “introduced” to Mazer, everything just happened so fast. It came as quite a shock after the somewhat more leisurely pace of battle school. That doesn’t diminish the fact, though, that this is probably the best science fiction book I’ve ever read, and rereading it in this medium did not lessen that experience.
Have I mentioned that I’m really liking the direction that Amazing Spider-Man is going lately? I do. I really do. This go-around, Mysterio didn’t really get a power-up, per se, but he attempt to up his “street cred” a bit by taking over the destroying the Maggia as well as Mr. Negative’s gang. It didn’t work out, but I like the ambition. And it didn’t seem to phase him all that much that Spidey won out at the end of the day. I can’t wait to finally see what the Kravinoffs have in store for Spidey, and this reunion of the Sinister Six (‘cause I promise that’s what’s happening) has the makings of something epic.
Blackest Night Books
What an awesome ending to the Secret Six/Suicide Squad clash. Last issue was a bit bumpy, but this one finished off the crossover quite nicely. I think Waller, and at the end Flagg, let the Six go all too easily, but if that’s what it takes to keep this team together and this book going, then that’s perfectly fine with me. The cool moments and verbal jabs were wonderful. Savage admitting that she was allowing Bane to think he was in charge. Waller’s revelation at the end (which was news to me even though I’ve been reading the SS books since Infinite Crisis…had that nugget of info already been mined?). Lawson’s apparent indifference at the possible death of Catman. Excellent stuff.
Sometimes a book starts out well, but a company-wide crossover comes a long and just about destroys any momentum that may have built up. That’s what has happened with Adventure Comics. It was going along great for a few issues, then Blackest Night came along and we got all of the Superboy Prime crap, and now we’ve got the Nekron-controlled Superboy. Aren’t Luthor and Brainiac plotting something somewhere? Isn’t that what’s supposed to be going on? That said, I thought Conner’s solution was pretty ingenious. Can we back to the regular story now, though?
Justice Books
Well, JSA All-Stars should have been read before the most recent Justice Society Annual. The brunt of the main story does nothing but set up the plot for it. We also get a little bit of Sandy being all ominous. That guy’s been pretty useless since the end of the last JSA series. And then there’s the Hourman/Liberty Belle back-up. It’s wonderful to see a superhero couple portrayed as having a normal, loving marriage…but it makes for some boring reading. I like the fact that they’ve got separate day jobs now, as referenced in the main story.
Superman Books
While being a bit wordy with the encyclopedic tidbits, Action Comics was pretty good. We learned about the history of Nightwing and Flamebird and the jealous third wheel. I can’t remember if it’s actually been stated, but that story combined with Jax-Ur having his hand in the Nightwing/Flamebird pie greatly implies that he is the vessel or reincarnation or whatever of the Builder/Breaker. Good history lesson, and good story.
Other DC Books
I have no idea what’s going on with the Titans. With half of them becoming members of the JLA, will there be a Titans team other than the Teen Titans? Does there need to be? I don’t think so. The last page says “End,” but I’m not sure if it’s the end of the series or the end of the two-part storyline. I’m kind of hoping it’s the end of the series.
I like the few similarities between S.W.O.R.D. and R.E.B.E.L.S.: they’re both acronyms, they’re both about aliens, and they both usually contain quite a bit of sarcasm. This actually has nothing to do with the issue, though. I’m worried about Starro’s fate. Dox’s team has a plan to stop and possibly kill him, as does Tigorr’s team. Usually when this happens, the two plans end up canceling each other out. There will be a lot of disappointed people, including some closest to Starro, if he doesn’t end up being killed by one of these methods. Oh, and small body/large head Despero was awesome, and it was an injustice to the reader to only see him for one panel. I’m just glad we didn’t have to see his “little conqueror.”
I have absolutely no knowledge of the Human Target. Before the show started a few weeks ago, I knew the character existed, but that’s it. I’ve never read a comic with him in it. So I don’t know how the show matches up with the original premise of the comic. What I DO know is that fans of the show will more than likely enjoy this comic. It captures the feel of the show perfectly. I can actually imagine MarkValley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley saying the lines of their respective on-screen characters. Other than that, though, the book is slightly corny.
All in all, the Shield is a good book. Good storytelling, good art, good character. Even the backup story with the Flame and Comet was good. But I just can’t get into the book for some reason. I’m not quite sure why that is. I really like the fact that the Shield is a soldier, not a superhero, and the suit is his weapon, nothing but a tool he uses. I like that we’re slowly being introduced to the other Impact/Archie characters, rather than just getting the thrown at us. I ALWAYS like it when Nazis get their asses handed to them. So why can I not get more excited about this book?
Booster Gold is an impotent hero. We know he’s always going to win. If a villain goes back in time, we know that somehow Booster will find a way to keep the timestream safe. Did you ever watch Quantum Leap? Did you see the episode where Sam leapt into Lee Harvey Oswald, and we went through this (I think) two-episode story where we think the purpose is to save JFK, but as it turns out, he was supposed to keep Jackie safe, which he did. But we know nothing…actually…happened. That’s what this book feels like. A lot of story with absolutely no payoff. The Blue Beetle back-ups have been nice, but this story seemed to end rather abruptly. Yay for Peacemaker, I guess. Let’s just nuke the hero.
Non DC/Marvel Books
I know I said that, so far, he’s not that great of a fit for the Justice Society, but I think Bill Willingham is doing a great job on Angel. He’s got the well-known characters down. I liked the flashback that explained Angel’s predicament. I always love Spike, so every time he opens his mouth, I’m entertained (that didn’t sound quite right). The back-up story was good, but I don’t think we know enough about Eddie Hope to care that he has a solo story.
After weeks like this one, good comics are a necessity. Please please please let this be a good comic week.
Absolution #6 Action Comics #885 Amazing Spider-Man #617 Booster Gold #28 Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 Dark X-Men #3 Die Hard: Year One #4 Invincible Iron Man #22 Jericho: Season 3 #2 Marvels Project #5 Nation X #2 R.E.B.E.L.S. #12 Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #2 S.W.O.R.D. #3 Secret Six #17
This looks like a mostly so-so week, but there are a few heavy hitters in there.
After last week’s Suicide Squad issue, I’d probably say that Secret Six is tied with Invincible Iron Man for most anticipated book of the week. Nothing else inspires me.
Stuff That I Loved
S.W.O.R.D. Well, this was an extremely pleasant surprise. I really was not expecting this comic to be my favorite of the week. After two issues of reading a slightly above-average comic with a nice quip here and there, the third issue steps up and delivers a wonderful issue. First off, the cover was awesome. Lockheed with guns, by John Cassaday. Nice. Second, Gyrich is effective, if not totally predictable. This allows both Beast and Brand to anticipate every thing he does, even if they can’t do much about it. Third, Beast is shining here. This issue is his and he just owns it. What a wonderfully enjoyable book this was.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8. After some fantastically average issues, it takes the creator to give is something exceptional. Whedon is back for an issue, and we get Buffy flying, having an incredibly awkward (from her side, at least) conversation with Xander, having an incredibly touching conversation with Riley, and beating up some goddesses. I guess when you’ve defeated one, defeating more is a cakewalk. And what exactly is a cakewalk? Let’s hope the good momentum from this issue carries on into the fallout of the little war that was just fought.
Amazing Spider-Man. I take back what I said two books up. THIS was my favorite book of the month. I’ve never particularly cared one way or the other for the Rhino. He was just muscle. Hell, but best story I read with him in it was a Spectacular Spider-Man issue where Harry Osborn (pre-BND, natch) hired him to torment Peter. I think the only other thing I read that attempted to flesh out his character some was the Deadly Foes of Spider-Man mini where he attempted to get the Rhino skin removed. This, though…I felt like I knew him, and like Peter, I wanted him to have some sort of happiness. So far the Gauntlet is doing a great job of breathing some new life into Spidey’s classic villains. Let’s hope the payoff is as good as the buildup.
Stuff That I Liked
Secret Six. Wow, maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to enjoy this issue, but it was a bit of a letdown. And really, it was everything I expected after last week’s Suicide Squad issue: nothing but fighting. The quips were great, as usual, but I just didn’t feel any urgency in any of the confrontations.
R.E.B.E.L.S. An excellent issue that considered the Blackest Night detour as just that, a slight detour. But now the title is back on track, and Dox has the gang retrieving the components for his weapon that’ll bring down Starro. This is NOT a team book. This is a book all about Dox, and all the “team members” are just chess pieces in his game.
Marvels Project. I think I expected more spectacle with the “first” appearance of Captain America, but I guess this story is more about the Angel than him. As with other comics this week, it was really a solid issue, but I just didn’t get into it all that much. I think I just need some more of the plot lines to come together.
Invincible Iron Man. Wow. I couldn’t even fully get into THIS book, one I look forward to every month. I think it’s just that the book is missing the awesome, sure-of-himself Stark and we’re getting side characters and fever dreams. It wasn’t bad, just not awesome…except for the art. BEAUTIFUL.
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard. Too much politics (ANY politics is too much for me) and not enough action in this crossover. It was nice to see Quasar again, but I thought he was already back on Earth at Project: Pegasus. The Fault just isn’t striking me as much of a threat, not like the Annihilation Wave or Vulcan. C’mon, let’s get to some carnage!
Booster Gold. The Blue Beetle backup brought this up from Meh to Like. The Booster stuff was good enough, but kind of impotent. What can happen? He’s not going to change anything. The Beetle stuff, though, that felt like the series again. I hadn’t been all that thrilled about the backups since they started, but this one nailed it. I would much rather have had the Blue Beetle book continue with Booster backups
Absolution. A decent ending to a decent little mini. With this being an Avatar book, I wasn’t expecting the bloodless ending. I had really expected the book ending with Alice killing John, but I like this ending better. If nothing else it leaves it open for Gage to tell more stories.
Stuff That Was Meh
Nation X. (The saving grace of this issue was the Martha/Quentin story. Other than that the book was a boring mess. The Northstar and Gambit stories were just awful, story AND art. Looks like I’m done with this mini.), Jericho Season 3: Civil War. (Works better as a TV show.), Die Hard: Year One (Similar to Jericho, this works better as a movie. The movies are totally ridiculous and fun; this mini wasn’t.), Dark X-Men (I’m just ready for Osborn to be gone), and Action Comics (If I’ve done my math correctly, if you take all of the regular issues of Action Comics, the Zero issue, the 1,000,000 issue, and all of the annuals…this is the 900th issue of the book. I think that’s pretty impressive. Moreso than the story inside.)
